AMHERST Today is a day that will make or break the fortunes of companies hoping to build wind farms in Cumberland County and across Nova Scotia.

Today is the deadline for firms to respond to Nova Scotia Powers request for proposals to provide 130 megawatts of electricity through renewable energy projects including wind, hydro, tidal and biomass.

Weve been working on this for months. In fact were still working on it, Graham Findlay of 3G Energy said Thursday. It has been all-consuming but well be ready.

3G Energy is just one of a handful of companies preparing bids to Nova Scotia Power to produce power through wind energy. The Ottawa-based company already has turbines at the top of Higgins Mountain near Westchester and in Rodney and is hoping through this application to erect additional turbines at both locations.

Other applications in the county will likely include Atlantic Wind Powers proposed windfarm on the Gulf Shore Road and Invenergy Canadas plan to erect a windfarm in the Fort Lawrence area near the Mount Whatley Road.

Its unknown if Saint John-based Wind Dynamics plans to submit an application for its Amherst Marsh project that was originally announced in August 2005. Company officials could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Nova Scotia Power spokesperson Margaret Murphy would not comment on the application deadline, saying the corporation would be releasing a statement next week at the earliest, but its believed it will evaluate the bids and may be in a position to name the successful bidders sometime this fall.

The province announced in January that it wants to increase the amount of alternate energy used in Nova Scotia by 20 per cent by 2013.